


Letters For When You're Quiet

by RedIrisRose



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Coming of Age, Cute Kids, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love Letters, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mild Smut, Plot Twists, Romance, Sad and Beautiful, Sad and Happy, Sexual Experimentation, Summer Love, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:33:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3091001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedIrisRose/pseuds/RedIrisRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A coming of age romance that know no borders not even time nor space for when things get hard Louis will always write letter, when they get terrible he will write them to the boy before the chaos.</p><p>They both fell in love in that summer, so young they didn't know what the word 'love' really was. Harry was quiet, always hidden within his own shell. He had a sunny disposition for the grace of birds, he loved to watch them. That's where he met Louis. Louis was everything Harry wasn't, quirky, loud and outgoing. He was slowly helping Harry realise that his 'stuff', his thoughts and dreams weren't as insignificant as he thought.<br/>People change, people age, people grow.<br/>Sometimes they grow apart and sometimes like vines they twist together. Their letters the glue to keep their summer romance together as time passes. When they first met Harry was seven, Louis was nine. Then the world was less cruel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letters For When You're Quiet

** Part 1 **

Let’s Talk About the Birds

What is the point

In flying,

If I cannot fly

With you?

Cut off these wings

With you,

I only need them

When you

Are here.

-Tyler Knott Gregson

 

 

“What are you doing?”

What was he doing?

He was watching the birds, obviously. Though why? He wasn’t sure. They were pretty, he supposed. There was something about the birds that transfixed him. The way they flew with a grace not to be rivalled with by even the most poised of dancers. Harry liked birds. They were his favourite thing about his family holiday to Los Angeles, L.A. to the locals as his older sister, Gemma kept informing him.

The seven-year-old peered over at the horizon watching as the seagulls swooped and dived over Sana Monica beach. He sat upon a bench on the boardwalk. His mother and stepfather were accompanying Gemma on the Ferris wheel as Harry refused to go. In his own words,

‘Not in a hundred, million, billion years,’ and he meant it.

Harry’s eyes slowly trailed across to the other side of the bench settling upon a boy, taller than him but only slightly a little smile painted on his face. He looked curious and perplexed at the same time.

“What are you doing?” He repeated.

“Looking at stuff,”

“What stuff?”

“You know, stuff… stuff.”

Harry had always been shy, the young, boy finding it hard to articulate the thoughts the circled about in his head, he was just looking at ‘stuff’. He did however notice that the boy before him too lacked the American, ‘Californian’ accent however going for an English one. It was unlike Harry’s though, less refined. Again Harry, who sucked at articulating simply looked over to the boy and uttered,

“You speak funny,” because he did.

Harry watched as the boy beside him shot a little smile, his blue eyes lighting up as if he took it as a compliment opposed to an observation.

“I do, it’s quirky.”

He smirked widely and stood upon the bench holding his arms out and trying to stay on the edge of a thin board of wood as he crossed the space to the curly lad flopping down beside him.

“And I bet you’re quirky too, you’ve got curls. Curls are quirky.”

Harry made at point at that to pat his hair down. He had made a point of his mother cutting his hair ‘super’ short so his hair would stop curling, though ‘super’ short to Harry was anything above the collar.

“Not a talker huh?” The other boy asked and poked Harry’s side as if he were shoving a pin in a pushpin pillow.

“That’s good, my mum says I talk more than anyone can listen but you like listening, right? My little sisters can’t talk much either, that’s why I keep them about. Now let me guess what you were looking at.”

There was a moment of silence, which well upon both of them and the boy looked about, moving from the people at the beach, his eyes scanning through the crowd.

“Is it the man who looks like a carrot?”

He asked and indicated to a man making his way out of the swell, his skin a bad shade of fake suntan orange. His pale white bum cheeks poking out from under his speedos, proving that is was indeed a very bad tan job, probably an at home one since there were also spots missed on the backs of his thighs.

“Nope.” Harry replied looking down at his hands his voice coming out low and slow.

The other boy decided to revaluate, his eyes crossing over the sights. His eyes set on the sea for a second and thought harder,

“Seaweed- no I know, the poodle on the beach- Wait! I know, is there someone famous here? Famous people are always in L.A.” It was a shake of the head to Louis’s dismay.

“No, no and No.”

Harry looked out on the horizon his fingers clasping each other and smiled to himself knowing that Louis would never get it.

“Its just stuff, doesn’t matter,” He assured softly.

“Obviously it does. Stuff isn’t just stuff if you care about it, then it’s more than stuff… it’s like a thing.”

Harry felt the sides of his lips quirk up. Something about the idea of his ‘stuff’ actually being a ‘thing’ just made him feel slightly more important and so he pointed skyward.

“The birds.” He uttered and notices the other boy’s little quirking smile.

Harry was almost sure that smile was about to be followed by a teasing remark as most of the kids back in Holmes Chapel would. They all thought Harry was odd, and maybe he was. He was sitting at a theme park, having not gone on any rides just sitting alone, watching the birds while rugged up despite the warm L.A. weather. Well he was alone anyway, that was until this other boy came to sit beside him.

“What’s your name bird boy?” He asked and smiled flicking his hair from his face.

“Harry.”

Harry simply grumbled it out and Louis smiled standing up atop the bench again.

“Whoa! Not so loud you’re hurting my ears!” He teased sarcastically and then threw his hands skyward and extending them over the expanse of pale white sand and blue-grey ocean before them.

“Louder!” He yelled standing up on his tiptoes.

“Harry!” He managed to yelled back still not rivalling that of the other boy’s scream.

“Longer!” He yelled causing him to think for a second of what he meant then screamed out,

“Harry Edward Styles!” He beamed and plonked down again next to Harry and extended a hand,

“Nice to meet you Harry Edward Styles, I’m Louis William Tomlinson, I’m nine and three quarters.”

Harry shook the older boy’s hand hesitantly. He didn’t know how to go about this boy. No one seemed to ever address Harry like this. It was odd, nice but odd.  He shyly turned his attention back to the sky and fiddled with his hands until Louis’s hand shifted over to cup them in his own,

“Stop fidgeting it bothers me.” He stated bluntly in the way all children seemed to do, no beating about the bush.

“Now tell me more about these birds of yours quirky boy.”

Harry thought for a second about this, wondering to himself why the boy would even care,

“Did you know that birds can see inferred lights, and that means that even really plan things look beautiful to them and that their eyes can zoom in and out like a camera lens, and they have hallow bones so they can fly.”

Louis seemed so utterly invested in Harry’s words, a wide smile creeping over his face as he listened, the pupils of his eyes swelling slightly. That was the way that you truly knew someone was interested in what you were saying. Harry remembered reading that in the book somewhere though he had never seen the look from anyone but his mother and on the occasion of his sister and stepfather.

“Really?”

 Was all Louis said at first his eyes casting to the birds that flew above the two.

“That’s kind of amazing.”

He whispered and smiled brightly casing Harry a glance him again. The sides of his icy blue eyes would crinkle as his did so, his lips spreading into a wide grin. Harry then found himself willing to move himself from the edge of the bench and slide himself until his side brushed up against Louis’s a smile of content crossing his face because someone was actually paying attention to him, someone cared about his own thoughts and feelings, his stuff wasn’t just stuff it was a thing and that was new to him.

“Tell me more about the birds.”

Louis whispered and time fell away because when someone was passionate about something conversation came easy, even for Harry whose tongue was constantly placed between his teeth, stopping himself from saying something stupid opposed now where he felt as if he could speak freely.

Their conversation only came to a halt as his family came to pick him up, looking from Harry to the boy on the bench and the little space between the two, both boys’ eyes shimmering with happy intrigue.

“Hey, baby. You made a new friend?”

Anne asked and Harry’s eyes fell upon his mother. She was young. She had dark hair that hung about her back, always having a look of warmth about her face. Harry really did love his mum. At such a young age his sister and even his stepfather were the only real means of love he knew.

“Yeah, this is Louis William Tomlinson. He’s from England like us. His family’s down at the beach.”

Harry informed for once he wasn’t speaking in a mumble, maybe because every time he did with Louis he would drag Harry to a standing position on the bench and yell, ‘louder’ again and again until Harry felt like an utter fool and was probably near the point of screaming.

“How long are you staying here Louis?” Anne asked curiously to which Louis gave a shrug of his shoulders.

“Another week then we fly back to England.”

Anne nodded a little, and smiled at the two boys.

“Well the two of you could meet her here again tomorrow if you’d like we were thinking of going down to the beach and Harry doesn’t like swimming very much.”

Harry looked over at his mum and blushed slightly. This was another reason he was odd, despite the heat of Los Angeles he was sitting with baggy jeans and a long sleeve sweater.

“Sounds like a plan.” Louis smiled widely and ruffled Harry’s curls,

“I better go see my mum she’s probably going to freak out soon.”

He stood down on the board walk and waved at Harry smiling a little as he ran into the distance his shoes a size too big, slapping against the ground as he ran. He spun around mid step and yelled back to Harry,

“Meet here tomorrow, ten a.m. sharp or I’ll leave without you.” He giggled and like that he was gone.

Harry didn’t know what to expect from this, the odd English lad with the odd accent and soft spot for quirky dispositions. He did however know that this was the start of something, what he didn’t know. What he did know however was that Louis made him feel different, something about him brought out parts of Harry that he didn’t even know existed, or maybe up until now he had thought they were stuff and Louis had made him realise that they were things. He still didn’t really under stand what that meant but it made him smile, caused him to feel more at home, more content with himself. He wasn’t just an odd little Cheshire boy, he was Harry or at least when he was with Louis it felt that way.

~§~

No, Harry wasn’t a morning person but the sun was peeking through the window of their hotel room bright and early. He silently wished his sister would learn to shut the blinds or how to share a bed. Just because she was four years older and about a foot taller she thought she had the right to take up ninety percent of the bed, which was frustrating at the best of times. To make matters worse in the twin sized bed next to him Robin was snoring loudly.

So long story short, he was wide-awake though only half happy about it. That wasn’t until his mind flooded back to Louis, the lad on the pier with the brilliant blue eyes that he suddenly found he could drag himself from his bed and get dressed, seeing his mother waiting for him once he emerged from the shower his hair slightly curling at the ends. He was still wearing the same type of baggy clothing not suitable from the claimant. He however didn’t care. He felt comfortable.

Anne opened her mouth as if to say something against it but then shut it again, waking up the rest of the family, leaving Harry bouncing excitably on the balls of his feet and standing on the tips of his toes aiming to see the beach, as if somehow hoping to see Louis waiting for him.

“Mum we have to hurry up.” Harry uttered frantically looking at the time, biting his lip.   
“It’s half nine, we have to be there by ten or Louis will leave without me.”

His green eyes swelled frantically as Gemma was taking her time. The eleven year old was trying to apply lipstick while Harry quickly grabbed her arm and yanked her into the main room.  
“Hurry up Gemma.” He whined and quickly ran to the door, rushing down the hallway.   
“Calm down, your boyfriend will be there.” Gemma teased poking out her tongue causing Harry to pause and look back at his sister for a second his eyes growing wide.  
“Louis’s not my boyfriend! Gross!”

He squeaked using his ‘louder’ voice that Louis had taught him before he quickly rushed to the street waiting impatiently for his mother. Once she crossed the space between them he grabbed onto her wrist and quickly made his way to the board walk his heart pounding against his chest.

 

~§~

It was now officially two past ten and Louis was nowhere in slight. Harry didn’t know what to think. Maybe the boy had changed his mind. Maybe he realised that Harry was odd. Maybe he was just being nice when he asked Harry to meet. Maybe he wasn’t coming.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.  
“Harry Edward Styles!”

Harry spun on his heels hearing Louis, his face lightening as the boy with the odd accent ran up to him, panting.   
“Mum took me to the wrong sodding place.” He breathed out then caught the look Anne shot him and shut his mouth.  
“Sorry, I meant that- um…I got the wrong place.” Anne nodded at Louis.  
“That’s okay. You boys stay either here or the beach, okay? Don’t go where we can’t see you.”

Harry nodded and Anne leaned down, pecking Harry’s cheek despite him trying to struggle away from the kiss shyly. His mother had just kissed him in front of Louis. That was so embarrassing. Now Louis would think he was a baby because he was younger and his mother still kissed him goodbye. He wasn’t a baby. He was quirky like Louis said. The night before Harry had decided he liked the word quirky. He wanted to be quirky now, like Louis.

Louis was standing before him in bright red shorts and matching braces, a white and blue-stripped tee shirt over the top. He was very quirky. Harry wished he was quirky like Louis, he really did. He was just plain looking and odd. His thoughts were interrupted when he realised his family had left and he was standing there staring at the other lad. He had been doing so for the past ten seconds. Harry blinked several times and felt himself blushing pale pink.

“You look sun burnt.” Louis noted as he leaned oven and poked Harry’s reddened cheeks before he extended a hand for Harry to take smiling slightly.

“I don’t bite… much. Come on let’s go on a ride.” He giggled.

Harry indeed took his hand but felt his heart start to beat quickly at the thought of a ride his fingers clasping tightly around Louis’s and he halted.   
“I don’t like rides.” He uttered and let his hand fall from Louis’s and fidgeted with his own shirt.  

Louis looked over at him as if almost shocked.   
“You don’t like the beach or rides? What do you do for fun?” He chuckle and grabbed Harry’s hand again and started to drag him in a different direction making his way to the arcade area. They paused at one of the booths. It was covered in large stuffed animals while the back wall was littered with balloons and the front lined with darts.  
“Okay, I have an idea. I win and you go on the Ferris wheel with me, I lose we can sit on the bench and watched the birds, or whatever you want to do.”

He uttered standing on his tiptoes to reach across the bench handing the money to the man and smirked over at Harry who shifted uncomfortably.   
“And if I win I’ll also give you the prize so really you win both ways.”

Louis smirked widely and took several darts in his hand. For a second Harry held his breath silently praying that Mother Nature pull a curve ball on them. Maybe blow the dart off its clear path, sadly though it didn’t. It flew right into the balloon causing a loud popping noise. Harry’s fingers snaked themselves around Louis’s arm, getting a fright then blushed and dropped his hands to his side. He wasn’t a baby. Dart after dart flew into the balloons and Harry watched his chances of sitting back with Louis and talking about birds fade and dwindle into oblivion. The man behind the bench looked slightly amazed as he handed Louis over a large, snow white, stuffed bear. It was almost the same size as the boy and he beamed handing it to Harry.  
“Here you keep it, now come on let’s get this over with.”

Harry gripped the bear tightly as it was handed to him and reminded himself to breath, as the line got shorter and shorter. Louis handed over a few dollars for the two of them and Harry’s heart sank as he took his ticket. Before he knew it the two of them were climbing into the cart, feeling it gently sway beneath their feet.  
“Louis I’m scared.” He whispered his voice almost inaudible.

Louis looked to Harry a flash of something flickering before his eyes, surprise. It was as if the idea of Harry actually being frightened of this had never crossed his mind but now he extended a hand for Harry to hold but he shook his head.

“It will rock more if we sit of the same side,” He whispered clasping the bear tighter and sitting opposite Louis as the peeling, yellow cart spluttered to motion and started to climb. There were no real guardrails to speak of. Instead it was more of a gazebo like structure, a small bucket bottom with roof.

Harry felt his body shaking slightly as he watched the ground fall away from the two of them. He stifled a little sob knowing now that Louis would really think he was a baby, but he didn’t care. He could be a sodding baby if he wanted to and god he did want to. This wasn’t what he thought it was going to be like. He just wanted to spend the day with Louis.

The ride was going to break. He was going to fall out. They were both going to die a horrible and painful death in a heap of bones, floating at the bottom of the pier. The only thing that would be left of them would be the bear, which would float, of course.

He was close to a panic attack when he felt more weight shift to his side of the cart. His heart sinking as it dipped. Harry then felt fingers twisting into his own and gripping his hand tightly.   
“Tell me about the birds.” He uttered again softly causing Harry to look up at him,  
“What?” He asked confused and Louis repeated it,  
“Tell me about the birds, they fly up here all the time right? How far high can they fly?” Louis whispered softly.  
“Uh- well, most fly about five hundred feet.”

Harry remembered reading that in one of the books his real father gave him.  
“Well… see this isn’t that tall at all, right?” He smirked a little at Harry who gave a stiff nod.

Slowly but surly he opened his eyes, glancing out at the horizon before him watching the sea ebbing and flowing while the birds flew above them soring high in the sky, Harry’s breath slowing ever so lightly though his heart was still pounding from his chest.   
“Why do you like birds if you don’t like highs?” Louis asked softly.

Harry took a second to think this over. He always admired the birds, their grace and daring as they swooped from impossibly tall highs to incredibly low lows. He admired them.  
“Because of reasons.”

He whispered shyly and let his eyes flicker shut again as the air blew the cart causing them to sway this way and that. Harry’s fingers again clenched around Louis.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Louis uttered his glassy, blue eyes shifting over Harry, using his free his hand to slowly move to Harry’s head and ruffled his hair, somehow knowing by the way Harry’s head dipped into the palm of his hand that he liked it. Louis tried to calm the boy, feeling Harry’s skin trembling under his touch.   
“I was thinking what would happen if we broke down and if we hit the water, if we would sink or float or-”

“That’s not going to happen though.”

Harry opened his eyes now a mix between a scowl and a pout forming on his face. His usual prominent dimples were nowhere in sight.   
“You don’t know it won’t.” He argued through gritted teeth,  
“And you don’t know that it will.”

They lapsed back into silence before Louis rested his head on Harry’s shoulder and looked up at the boy, sighing softly.  
“You are really brave you know that?”

Harry shook his head rigidly knowing that Louis had to be messing with him, humouring him, as his mother would say. She would use those types of words when his grandparents would come over and wish for him to listen to their old stories. Harry would get bored because he had heard them all several million times, or at least in his own mind he had but his mother would always remind him to _humour_ them.

That must have been what Louis was doing to him because Harry wasn’t brave; He was scared of rides, loud noises, and like most people, death. He wasn’t brave. Louis was brave.   
“You’re taking the piss.”

The young boy used a curse he knew Louis was familiar with, in the way all young children did when their parents weren’t around. He stated it bluntly and boldly though if he saw his mother he knew he cursed in that instant he would have shrunk into himself and apologised until blue in the face.

“I’m not taking the piss. I mean it Harry, why did you even agree to go on if you were scared?” He breathed and Harry just moved over slightly, burrowing his face in Louis’s shoulder, his breathing unsteady.

“Because, I knew you wanted to go on it and I didn’t want you to think I was a baby.”

Louis sighed and snaked his hands around Harry, trying to assure him that it was okay, watching as the cart slowly got closer to the ground, knowing that this time it would stop. It slowly began to sway and rock backwards and forwards until they were on the ground. Louis stood looking at Harry and dragged the smaller of the two up with him.  
“Come on Hazza. It’s over.  Let’s go get some ice cream and watch the birds.”

Harry looked up at Louis as his feet finally hit land feeling his body instantly relax and he let out a long and thankful huff.

“You still want to, even if I’m a baby?” Louis chuckled and rolled his eyes,  
“For the millionth time you’re not a baby. You are the bravest.”

For a second Harry might have even believed it.

 ~§~

The ocean was almost hypnotising to watch. Harry was beginning not to mind sitting there with his feet dipped into the chilled water, the cuffs of his pants rolled up as he folded his hands into his lap. Beside him Louis was speaking, that was the routeing they had fallen into after the day on the pier. Harry and Louis would retire to the beach, sitting with their toes in the ocean, feet dug into the heated sand. Both boys would take their turns in speaking and listening as if in a game of chess or tic tack toe, my turn and your turn.   
“Mum says that when we get back to England you have to come visit. Donny is a hole, nothing interesting ever happens and no one is ever even a bit out of the ordinary.”

Louis used the tip of his thumbnail and dig into the sand creating a small hole as he thought absentmindedly. Harry wished in a way that this could last forever, he and Louis siting together on a beach, talking about nothing important but everything that mattered. He never had a real best friend, or a real friend that wasn’t a family member. He was shy for one and odd, why would anyone want to be friends with someone like him?   
“They aren’t quirky in Doncaster then?”

Harry shot Louis the smallest of dimpled grins as his head tilted up to look at the boy. His hair was a messy, wild, mop of curls. Since Louis had expressed his fondness of the curls he had been less inclined to try to brush them out or pat them down. Now with the swift, heated wind blowing in his face his hair had curled and fizzed in the humidity.

Louis reciprocated Harry’s smile, leaning over to brush his curls from his face and beamed.   
“No. None as quirky as you Haz.”

He looked out at the horizon, the realisation slowly setting in that this could be his last day with Harry for a long while, before he returned to his normal, black and white life.   
“But I looked it up and we’re only going to be seventy-six miles apart and that’s not that much right?” He looked at Harry hopefully who nodded.

Truthfully Harry had no clue how close or far away that was but he smiled and pretended he did because if Louis said it wasn’t far he would believe him, or hope for the best at least. He wished there were no miles, that when they were back in England it would be the same. He would meet Louis every morning, that they would go somewhere, maybe not the beach because neither boy lived close to a beach. They could stay in Harry’s room, maybe. Louis could teach him how to make paper airplanes and play piano like he promised and show him how to get cheaper sandwiches by swapping the stickers. Harry didn’t know how morally right that was but Louis assured him he did it all the time and it hadn’t hurt anyone.

‘The things are two quid too expensive anyway.’

Louis had once insisted to Harry when he tried to show him the trick at the corner store.

Louis arose from the sand and slowly removed his shirt revealing his milky flesh. Louis was several shades darker than their first encounter as was Harry but he still looked almost sickly pale. The muscles in his shoulders flexed slightly as he stretched upwards and looked at the boy over his shoulder, smiling slightly.   
“Harry come on let’s go swimming, we haven’t been once.” Louis looked at the boy and raised a brow as Harry shook his head frantically, his hair falling down over his face.   
“Are you scared of it?” This time he asked, not wanting a repeat of the time before but Harry shook his head his face still down.  
“No.” Again he reverted back to his shy one word answers.  
“Then what’s wrong?”

Harry was silent and Louis let out a loud groan flopping back down onto the heated sand.

“Come on then Hazza.”

He uttered grabbing the bottom of his shirt tugging at it. Harry pulled away and tugged his shirt down with on hand, trying to keep Louis away with the other.  
“No Louis. I don’t want to.” Harry was definitely using his ‘louder’ voice now.

Louis looked almost shocked but did indeed back off from Harry. He instead stood up staking the sand from his hair and ran his fingers through it several times.

“Are you afraid of sharks?”

“No.”

“Drowning?”  
“No.”

“Then what?”

Louis groaned throwing his hands up in defeat. Harry had never seen Louis like this, frustrated. He had never thought it was even possible. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that every time Louis would open up to him Harry would give him the bear minimal for a possible response. It wasn’t his fault. It was just his nature. He wasn’t good at fabricating magnificent stories like Louis was. He would just tell it simply as it was.

“Do you know that a whale’s heart is the size of a Mini Cooper?”

He stated out of the blue and Louis looked at the younger boy cracking the slightest smile and then sat next to Harry again, tiling his face so they could see each other.  
“I’m serious Harry, why?” He uttered eyes two blue pools, ebbing oceans.   
“I don’t know… I don’t want to get undressed.” He noted shyly.

This was something else that took Louis off guard. He had to take a second to evaluate. Harry always did cover up rather well. He bit his lip thinking about how they could get around it. He moved his way to Harry, now kneeling at his feet.  
“Is it okay if I roll you pants up?” He asked softly and after a second of hesitation Harry nodded and Louis did so, folding them until they were just above his knees. He furrowed his brow slightly and ran his fingers over the angry, bluish-purple bruises on Harry’s knees but didn’t say a thing and instead he stood and smiled a little taking Harry’s hand.

“Up to our knees, yeah?”

Harry thought for a second and hesitated before he nodded and with Louis’s help waded into the water, stopping when it was midway up his shins a smile forming on his face as an idea popped into his head. He bent down one hand grazing the water and with one swift motion he splashed a small tidal wave of water over Louis, chuckling as the boy yelped letting go of Harry shooting him a cheeky grin.  
“You’ll pay for that Harry Edward Styles.” He smirked evilly and sent splashes flying in his direction.

Soon the two were left dripping waist deep in salty seawater. Louis arched back and was about to send a large splash Harry’s way when a wave beat him to it. It surged up behind Louis the white water breaking over Louis back and sent him tumbling forward, ploughing right into Harry. Both boys struggled and failed to remain on their feet, klutzily then stumbled into the dink and were washed to shore.

Louis lay atop the younger boy grinning like mad as the water surged about them. Harry’s face was covered mostly by his wild curls, his hands reached up to brush them from his eyes and he chuckled a kind of whimsical cackle that Louis couldn’t help but join in.

“You should have see the look on your face.” Harry spat through giggles.

“My face? You should have seen your face when you fell.”

Louis joined in and climbed off the boy. Harry baggy clothes were soaking and almost slipping off him. He sat up then and rubbed his back and shoulders slightly then got up giving Louis a small dimpled smile. Louis could tell however that something in his eyes had faded.  
“You okay?” Louis asked softly and Harry gave a smile and nod.  
“Yeah, I’m just sad this is our last day together for a while.” He whispered.

At that thought Louis’s face also fell slightly. He wanted this to be forever, though they both knew forever had an expiration date.

“Promise me something.” Louis whispered as his eyes moved back to Harry, running his fingers through his hair, biting the inside of his cheek.  
“Depends on what I’m promising.” Harry uttered softly looking the boy over who nodded as if that was the answer he had expected.

“Promise me that you’ll write to me. Mum’s not going to let me get a phone but we can still write, right?”

Louis asked as he lay back in the sand looking up at the sky, a pinkish colour as the sun slowly set beyond the sea.

“Yeah.” Harry whispered in reply as he too lay beside Louis.  
“But I don’t want just one word replies Harry, I want… bloody essays yeah?” Louis chuckled playfully gabbing at his side.  
“I expect nothing less.”

Harry smiled ever so slightly and looked over at Louis searching his face. The pinkish light turned his face a colour of a rose, pale pink and beautiful. The light caused his blue eyes to shine while his copper locks took on an almost red tinge.

“I will.”

Harry whispered into the spaces between them. Louis had long lashes. Harry had tangled curls and pale, supple skin. For a while they lay together in the fading light, silent letting each other’s eyes explore.

“Promise?”

Louis extended his pinkie finger looking over at Harry who copied the action. Both of their fingers were caked in sand and sticky with seawater. Harry smelled of salt and vanilla while Louis of salt and peaches. It was an odd combination but something about the mixing of the smells and the darkened light felt comforting.

 This was it.  This was the inevitable goodbye. Neither of them had thought that a week could bring such intense connections to the other and yet here they were. Harry felt as if he was losing a part of himself. It was like the part of himself he had gained from Louis being there. His sudden willingness to speak up, the part of him that knew he wasn’t odd, he was special and it was about to be taken from him. He wasn’t going to let it go without a fight. This didn’t have to be the end.

Their fingers linked and Harry puckered his lips feeling a surge of warmth within his chest and he felt a smile painting itself over his face.  
“Promise.”

Just like that the sun set on the last day of their time together and they lay there in the dark. Both knew they should have been getting ready to leave but still they lay there with the ocean lapping at their feet. He wanted this to be their forever so they held onto the moment like a dream before both standing in time and parting ways with a small wave. Not another word was spoken because they both knew it wasn’t a goodbye, not really. Just a see you soon and so it was left on a single word.

‘Promise’.

~§~

_Harry,_

_I’m not good at writing letters. My writing is hard to read at the best of times, even mum said so but we promised, remember? You better write back Harry Edward Styles. I miss you. We got into London airport yesterday morning. Mum’s mad because the twins cried the whole trip, which was horrible. I miss you already. Nothing in Doncaster has changed, though it never does. It is still boring. I hung out with Stan though. You remember I told you about Stan? He’s my best friend- in Doncaster anyway. You are my best, best friend but don’t tell Stan that. I told him about you. You sounded so cool he thinks you just might replace him because he’s only kind of quirky and you are very quirky. How’s Holmes Chapel? You miss me Curly? I brought a bird book at the airport so now I can give you facts. Did you know that a T-Rex’s closet living descendant is a chicken? I think the bird book’s taking the piss Haz that can’t be true, right?_

_Love Louis._

_Louis,_

_Hey Louis. First off the bird book isn’t taking the piss. It’s true. I miss you a lot. School started this week. It was okay. No one really bothered to ask me about the holidays or about birds like you would. I want to go back to Los Angles with you hopefully you can come over soon._

_Love Harry._

_Harry Edward Styles,_

_Is that all I get? I told you Harry I want an essay from you. You want to talk to me then just write me about it. It’s not the same without you. School is shit. All the teachers think I’m stupid. They aren’t saying it because mum would probably kick the shit out of them but I know that’s what they are thinking. It’s not my fault they can’t teach for shit. Stan and I went to beach over the weekend but it wasn’t the same we just swam, we didn’t really talk like you are I do. It was far too cold as well. Mum told me I have to try to pay more attention in class then I can come over on the long weekend or something. I don’t think I know anything about birds that you don’t but how about this, you can even try it with this letter. My mum’s new boyfriend taught it to me, he’s kind of cool, I guess. Anyhow, did you know you can’t fold a piece of paper more than seven times? Try it._

_Love Louis._

_Louis William Tomlinson_

_I’m sorry. I’m trying okay? I don’t know what to talk about it seems harder to talk when you aren’t here. Things are pretty crazy for once. Gemma’s mad all the time lately. Her and mum and yelling at each other a lot. Sometimes it’s scary but most of the time it’s just funny. Robin says it’s PMS. I don’t know what that means but I don’t think you can die from it. Apparently we can’t catch it so that’s good. I tried the paper thing. It’s really cool. I didn’t know that. I don’t like school much either but I guess we are in it together, right? Please come over soon I really miss you. Though mum said we would have to wait to see you too.  I’m not sure why. I have something on that she won’t talk to me about but I get to skip a few days of school for it, so that’s good. I’ve almost taught you everything I know about birds too. The ones in my back yard aren’t as interesting as the ones back in Los Angles, kind of like how no one is as interesting as you._

_Love Harry._

~§~

_Curly,_

_I haven’t heard from you in ages Harry. What’s going on? Is it because I told you I kissed that girl at the party? It was just truth or dare. It’s not like she is going to replace you. You are my best, best mate. Remember? You promised to write to me. Pinkie promise. Remember? I’m sorry I couldn’t come over on the holidays like I promised. I guess we are both breaking promises._

_Louis._

_Harry,_

_I didn’t mean to sound angry in my last letter. I’m sorry Harry. I just really miss talking to you. I know that we only really knew each other for a week but you can’t just write to me every day for five years then disappear. I’m not mad, I just want to hear from you._

_Love Louis._

_Dear Louis,_

_I’m sorry._

_Harry._

_Louis William Tomlinson,_

_You are cordially invited to Harry Styles thirteenth birthday party, hope we can see you there._


End file.
